Extendable bracelet for ring protection

ABSTRACT

An improved bracelet article is disclosed having a closed loop section adapted to be worn upon the wrist of a wearer and a continuous extension arm releasably connected about the loop section and extendable therefrom to engage a finger ring on the hand of the wearer and prevent its loss during physical activity. The closed loop section and the extension arm are integrally constructed from an elastic cord material threaded through a series of bead members arranged in a selected design pattern, the outer end of the extension arm having a clip member attached thereto. Under normal conditions, the extension arm is wrapped about the loop section and fastened thereto to provide a decorative bracelet to be worn on the wrist of the wearer. During the course of physical exercise or sports activity, the extension arm and its clip member are released from the loop section and stretched, preferably along the palm of the wearer, and fastened to the finger ring to prevent accidental removal and loss.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/640,328 filed Dec. 31, 2004 for Extendable Bracelet for Ring Protection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to useful articles of jewelry, and more particularly to an improved bracelet article constructed having a closed loop section capable of being worn upon the wrist of a wearer and a continuous extension arm releasably connected about the loop section and extendable therefrom to engage a finger ring on the hand of the wearer and prevent its loss during physical activity.

Jewelry articles, such as rings, bracelets and necklaces, are generally ornamental in nature and are typically coveted by the wearer even though the particular article of jewelry may have little monetary value. Some jewelry articles can be made of precious metals and contain gem stones having substantial dollar value or may be relatively inexpensive in their material manufacture but have significant sentimental value to the wearer. In either case, the wearer does not want to lose that “valued” article of jewelry, especially under accidental circumstances where the loss goes unnoticed and may have been prevented.

Finger rings are often loose fitting and subject to slippage and disengagement from the finger of the wearer particularly during periods of physical exercise and sport activities. Water sports, including swimming and scuba diving, are especially high-risk activities during which a finger ring will be easily removed and unknowingly lost forever. To guard against the loss of a finger ring worn during these and other activities, a number of ring protector devices have been devised and developed in the prior art to maintain the ring in position on the wearer's finger despite the level of physical activity engaged by the wearer. Examples of such prior art devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,747 issued Aug. 1, 2000 to Jay Malick and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,685 issued Feb. 4, 2003 to Anthony Tzoubris. While these and other prior art ring securing devices have performed satisfactorily and achieved their intended purpose, they have been somewhat cumbersome to wear and been difficult to take on and off. Furthermore, none of the prior art ring securing devices have been found to be practical or attractive to wear at normal times of activity when ring protection is not a vital concern, and that otherwise would be ready for deployment when necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a general purpose and object of the present invention to provide an improved ring protection device capable of being worn and implemented by a person to secure the position of a finger ring on the hand of the person during periods of physical activity.

A more particular object of the present invention is to provide a useful article of jewelry that is easy and attractive to wear about a person's wrist and ready to deploy when necessary to secure the position of a finger ring on the person's hand.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved ring protection device that can be worn normally as a bracelet or wrist band and be easily deployed whenever necessary to maintain the position of a finger ring in order to prevent its removal and loss particularly during time of physical activity.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved ring protection device that can be placed comfortably on the wearer and removed easily whenever desired.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a ring protection device that is inexpensive to make, easy to implement and reliable in its performance.

Briefly, these and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by an improved bracelet article constructed having a closed loop section adapted to be worn upon the wrist of a wearer with a continuous extension arm releasably connected about the loop section and extendable therefrom to engage a finger ring on the hand of the wearer and prevent its loss during physical activity. The closed loop section and the extension arm are integrally constructed from an elastic cord material threaded through a series of bead members arranged in a selected design pattern, the outer end of the extension arm having a clip member attached thereto. Under normal conditions, the extension arm is wrapped about the loop section and fastened thereto to provide a decorative bracelet to be worn on the wrist of the wearer. During the course of physical exercise or sports activity, the extension arm and its clip member are released from the loop section and stretched, preferably along the palm of the wearer, and fastened to the finger ring to prevent accidental removal and loss.

For a better understanding of these and other aspects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals and character designate like parts throughout the figures thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, references in the detailed description set forth below shall be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the bracelet article of the present invention shown as normally worn upon the wrist of a user;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bracelet article of FIG. 1 shown in its extended form;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the interior joint section of the bracelet article shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the present invention deployed in its extended form upon the wrist and hand of the user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following is a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the best presently contemplated mode of its production and practice. This description is further made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention but should not be taken in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being best determined by reference to appended claims.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an extendable bracelet article 10 made according to the present invention for use in protecting against accidental loss of a finger ring 12 is shown in its normal condition worn upon the wrist of a user. In its preferred embodiment, bracelet article 10 is integrally constructed including a closed loop section 14 sized and configured to fit comfortably about the wrist and a continuous extension arm 16 made to project from the closed loop section. As described below in greater detail, the closed loop section 14 and extension arm 16 are preferably elastic in their construction with the length of the extension arm being made sufficient to wrap substantially around the closed loop section without stretching. A clip member 18 having a conventional hook-like clasp mechanism is attached to the outer end of extension arm 16 and is adapted to releasably engage an eye ring 15 set along the closed loop section so that the length of the extension arm may be held in place and maintained closely about the closed loop section during normal wear of the bracelet article 10. When the extension arm 16 is needed to secure the position of the finger ring 12, the clip member 18 is disengaged from the eye ring 15 on the closed loop section 14 and fastened to the finger ring with the bracelet article 10 thereby assuming the extended form shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the closed loop section 14 and extension arm 16 of the bracelet article 10 are together made from a continuous length of elastic cord 20 further threaded through a series of beaded members 22 that are arranged in a selected design pattern along the length of the elastic cord. The beaded members 22 may be varied in style, shape and size and may be arranged in various sequences to provide any multitude of design patterns to the present bracelet article 10. Small loops 20 a, 20 b provided at the respective ends of the elastic cord 20 facilitate the construction of the bracelet article 10 and provide means for its formation. The small end loop 20 a on the one end of the elastic cord 20 is adapted to permit the opposite end of the cord to pass therethrough and further allow the loop to be positioned, as best seen in FIG. 3, between selected ones of the beaded members 22 in order to establish the form and relative sizes of the closed loop section 14 and the extension arm 16. The end loop 20 b formed on the opposite end of the elastic cord 20, as that opposite end of the cord constitutes the outer end of the extension arm 16, is made to secure the attachment of the clip member 18 to the extension arm.

Referring now to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIGS. 1-3, the present bracelet article 10 is deployed from its normally worm condition, as seen in FIG. 1, to its extended form, as seen in FIG. 2, by disengaging clip member 18 from the eye loop 15 on the closed loop section 14 and subsequently engaging the clip member upon the finger ring 12, thus removing the extension arm 16 from its normal position about the closed loop section and the wrist of the wearer. This deployment of the bracelet article 10 and particularly of its extension arm 16 is expected to be made by the wearer in advance of a period of physical exercise or sports activity, particularly water sports, such as swimming, wherein the finger ring 12 is at risk of slippage and removal from the finger. As seen in the deployed condition of the bracelet article 10 shown in FIG. 4, the extension arm 16 with associated clip member 18 can be extended from the closed loop section 14 to the finger ring 12 beneath and along the palm, an extended position that may be more comfortable and less restrictive of the natural movement of the hand. While such a positioning of the extension arm 16 along the palm may be preferred, the present bracelet article 10 is equally effective if deployed having the extension arm routed from the closed loop section 14 to the finger ring 12 along the back of the hand or from either side thereof. Regardless of the extended path taken by the extension arm 16 in the deployed condition of bracelet article 10, it should be understood and noted that the length of the extension arm should be made sufficient to reach comfortably to the set position of the finger ring 12 without excessive stretching of the underlying elastic cord 20.

Therefore, it is apparent that the described bracelet article 10 provides an improved ring protection device capable of being worn and implemented by a person to secure the position of a finger ring on the hand of the person during periods of physical activity. More particularly, the present invention provides a useful article of jewelry that is easy and attractive to wear about a person's wrist and always ready to deploy when necessary to secure the position of a finger ring on the person's hand. Furthermore, the described invention provides an improved ring protection device that can be worn comfortably as a bracelet or wristband and be readily available when needed to secure the position of a finger ring and prevent its removal and loss particularly during time of physical activity. In addition, the described extendable bracelet for ring protection is inexpensive to make, easy to implement and reliable in its performance.

Obviously, other embodiments and modifications of the present invention will readily come to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and drawings. Alternate embodiments of different shapes and sizes, as well as substitution of known materials or those materials that may be developed at a future time to perform the same function as the present described embodiment are therefore considered to be part of the present invention. For instance, instead of the fully closed but releasable clip member 18 described and shown in the drawing figures, an open-ended hook or like clasp may be used to engage both the eye ring 15 and finger ring 12 in the structure and operation of the present invention. Accordingly, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described, but rather is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as may be expressed in appended claims. 

1. A bracelet article capable of securing a finger ring worn by a person, comprising: a continuous length of elastic cord formed having a closed loop section adapted to fit about the wrist of the person and an arm integrally extending from the closed loop section to wrap substantially therearound; and a clip member connected to the arm at the outer end thereof for selectively fastening the arm to the closed loop section and the finger ring.
 2. A bracelet article according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of beaded members disposed along the continuous length of elastic cord.
 3. A bracelet article according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of beaded members are arranged in a selected design pattern along the length of elastic cord.
 4. A bracelet device for protecting a ring worn upon the finger of a person, comprising: a closed loop section made of an elastic cord material and formed to fit about the wrist of the person; an arm piece integrally connected at one end thereof to said closed loop section and made to extend therefrom; and clip means connected to the extended end of said arm piece for alternatively engaging said arm piece about said closed loop section and to the ring.
 5. A bracelet device according to claim 4, further comprising: a plurality of beaded members disposed upon said closed loop section and along said arm piece.
 6. A bracelet device according to claim 5 wherein said beaded members are varied in form and arranged in a selected design pattern.
 7. A bracelet device according to claim 4, wherein said clip means comprises a hook-like clasp.
 8. A bracelet article capable of securing a finger ring worn upon the hand of a person, comprising: a continuous length of a cord material formed to include a closed loop section adapted to fit about the wrist of the person and an arm piece integrally extending from the closed loop section to wrap substantially therearound; clip means attached to the extended end of arm piece for selectively fastening the arm piece about the closed loop section and to the finger ring; and a plurality of beaded members disposed along the continuous length of cord material.
 9. A bracelet article according to claim 8, wherein said clip means comprises a hook-like clasp.
 10. A bracelet article according to claim 8, wherein said beaded members are varied in form and arranged in a selected design pattern. 